The spear tip tore through the air, raising a sharp howl.
"Too fast!"
"Li Yuan's spear." Most of the students watched with bated breath. They all felt that Li Yuan's great spear was far too fast, crossing several meters in the blink of an eye.
One had to know that Li Yuan stood less than ten meters from Teacher Xu Bo, while the great spear in Li Yuan's hands was nearly three meters long. Added to Li Yuan's instantaneous explosive speed... the spear tip pointed straight at Teacher Xu Bo's chest.
"Zhongping Spear?" Zhou Qi clenched the long spear in his hands, recognizing Li Yuan's move.
Spear techniques changed in countless ways, but the basic spear forms were nothing more than blocking, taking, thrusting, stabbing, chopping, collapsing, pointing, coiling, twisting, and the like. All spear arts evolved from these basic moves.
The Zhongping Spear could be called the most ordinary move in spear technique, yet it was also the most important.
So-called Zhongping meant a level, straight thrust, taking the shortest line between two points, its attack shooting forth like an arrow.
What it tested was accuracy, speed, and strength.
"Clearly the same move, but Brother Yuan's spear could probably stab me to death outright." Zhou Qi clicked his tongue inwardly.
In the arena.
"A straight thrust? Using the advantage of weapon length and strength?" Xu Bo saw through Li Yuan's intent.
As the saying went, "A saber is like a fierce tiger, a sword like a roaming dragon; a staff sweeps across a broad stretch, while a spear picks out a single line."
A staff was shorter than a great spear.
In such a straight-line clash, the great spear would inevitably arrive first. Moreover, Li Yuan's speed and strength far exceeded Xu Bo's level 5.0 explosive speed and strength.
Boom!
Facing Li Yuan's attack, Xu Bo no longer dodged first as he had before. Instead, he took the initiative, stepping forward as the long staff in his hand traced a smooth arc through the air. Like lightning, it lashed against the spear tip, borrowing force against force and sending the spearhead sharply off course.
He evaded Li Yuan's fierce strike.
Hiss~! Li Yuan seemed to have anticipated it. The instant the spear shaft rebounded from the force, he borrowed that force, twisted his body violently with his waist as the core, and spun the shaft one hundred and eighty degrees. Like an axe blade, it hacked savagely at Xu Bo.
This time, they were closer, and their explosive speed was even faster.
"Haha!" Teacher Xu Bo suddenly laughed, then retreated in a flash as though he had foreseen it, avoiding Li Yuan's vicious chop.
"He dodged that too?" Li Yuan was slightly startled. Teacher Xu's reaction speed was simply too fast.
Before he could think further.
Whoosh! A blurred staff shadow had already seized the opening left by the great spear's missed sweep and smashed down viciously.
"Back!" Li Yuan immediately changed his footwork and retreated rapidly, while raising his spear horizontally in an attempt to block the strike.
Bang~ Weapons collided.
Yet Li Yuan did not feel the impact of force from the other man's long staff. It was as though his spear had been stuck fast by the staff.
It felt awful.
Whoosh!
Xu Bo suddenly stepped forward again, closing the distance with Li Yuan once more. His long staff shifted and jabbed toward him, swift and ruthless.
Whoosh! Li Yuan was forced to retreat and evade. A spear was a long weapon; only by opening up space could it display sufficient power.
What shocked Li Yuan, however, was that although there was nothing wrong with his movement, he simply could not pull away. Teacher Xu Bo's long staff always struck at precisely the right moment, repeatedly forcing him to raise his spear to block before he could fully unleash its power.
That long staff was violent at times, gentle at others, its changes impossible to predict.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their weapons collided more than ten times in rapid succession, and Li Yuan had already retreated to the edge of the silver floor.
Boom~ Another staff shadow swept past. Li Yuan felt a faint pain in his chest, and his entire body involuntarily staggered backward.
Only after retreating several steps did he stop.
With full-body protective gear on, and with Teacher Xu Bo's explosive strength not particularly great, a single strike from a training staff could not truly injure Li Yuan.
"I lost." Li Yuan raised his great spear and said helplessly, "Teacher Xu, my speed and strength advantages were so great, yet I couldn't even withstand twenty of your moves."
It could only mean that there was an enormous gap between their cold-weapon techniques.
All around them, silence had fallen.
Every student stared dumbfoundedly at Li Yuan and Teacher Xu Bo.
Their exchange had been brief, but incomparably intense, like a genuine battle. It was on an entirely different level from the technique tests they had just undergone.
"You already blocked more than ten of my moves." At those words, a rare trace of a smile appeared on Teacher Xu Bo's cold face. "Your spear technique has improved by a large margin since last semester's final exam. I also had to go all out to defeat you."
Go all out?
Li Yuan sighed inwardly. This was merely Teacher Xu's full strength while using level 5 physical fitness.
If their explosive strength and speed had been equal, he probably would not have been able to block even three moves.
That was the difference in technical level.
"During last semester's final exam, both my spear technique and movement technique were at Second Stage 99%. I only broke through after the exam." Li Yuan thought to himself. "By that reasoning, Teacher Xu's technical realm is at least at the Fourth Stage."
Without other points of reference, Li Yuan did not really know the specific differences between First Stage, Second Stage, and Third Stage on the panel.
But he could vaguely judge that among the class, only a very few people like Wan Xiao had reached the Second Stage in cold-weapon techniques.
At the same time, Li Yuan was certain of one thing.
If his spear technique or movement technique improved, it would definitely be reflected in the panel data.
Drip!
The number for Li Yuan's Martial Arts Technique had appeared on the screen at the back of the classroom—"365 points."
"So high?"
"More than 360 points." Zhou Qi's eyes lit up.
"That's National College Entrance Examination difficulty. They've only just entered their senior year, yet Li Yuan's Martial Arts Technique score has risen so much since last semester?"
"A score like that in a single subject would probably put him among the very best in the city."
"By the time of the National College Entrance Examination, maybe Li Yuan could compete for first place in the city in the Martial Arts Technique subject."
"Li Yuan will definitely get into Martial Arts University."
"If only my spear technique were as good as Li Yuan's..."
"Whose urine is yellow? Come splash him awake."
The students were both shocked and envious as they discussed it in low voices.
If Li Yuan had only scored 320 or 330 points, these students might have been jealous of him, because the gap between them would not have been so absurd.
But when the gap became too great, most people would only feel admiration.
Most people possessed some self-awareness. When someone was clearly not on the same level as them, why bother being jealous?
Besides, Martial Arts Technique was different from physical fitness.
If one's family circumstances were excellent, allowing them to hire dedicated dietary therapists and physiotherapists, create specialized training plans, and awaken Martial Arts Spirituality... then raising one's physical fitness to level 7 or even higher during senior year was possible.
But improvement in Martial Arts Technique could not simply be bought with money.
With Li Yuan's assessment concluded, it was already five-thirty in the afternoon.
"Alright."
"From today's tests, most of you have been working hard since entering senior year." Teacher Xu Bo's voice had returned to its coldness. "But some of you have actually regressed."
"You are already senior-year students. The National College Entrance Examination may not decide your Fate in life, but at the very least, it is a major opportunity in life... I will come again the afternoon after tomorrow to supervise your martial arts training. Class dismissed." Teacher Xu Bo turned and left.
Immediately afterward, another sentence drifted over. "Li Yuan, Wan Xiao, you two come to my office."
The many students' feet were already aching from practice, and they were drenched in sweat. At those words, they immediately scattered.
Many boys gulped down water while calling for one another to hurry to the cafeteria and grab seats.
Some girls discussed going to the restroom first.
"Brother Yuan, Yan Zhou and I will head to the cafeteria first and save you a seat! We'll grab you a nutritional meal too!" Zhou Qi called out repeatedly.
"Old Zhou, Brother Yuan needs two meals." The sturdy boy named Yan Zhou beside him laughed, then called to Li Yuan, "Brother Yuan, leave the food to us. Hurry to the office."
"Thanks. I'll transfer you the money later," Li Yuan said with a smile.
"No need. The last few times I had you bring me breakfast, I never paid you. Consider tonight's dinner repayment." Yan Zhou laughed.
Li Yuan smiled.
Besides Zhou Qi, he also had several classmates in the class with whom he was very close.
"Li Yuan, let's go." The burly Wan Xiao called out to Li Yuan. "Why does Xu Ban want us?"
"He's probably calling you over to transfer you into the Elite Class." Li Yuan smiled.
As for why he wanted to see him? Li Yuan had a guess, but he could not confirm it yet.
(End of Chapter)
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